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<title>The Last Day by SpookyTurtles</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24542053">The Last Day</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyTurtles/pseuds/SpookyTurtles'>SpookyTurtles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>No Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:42:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>844</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24542053</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyTurtles/pseuds/SpookyTurtles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>angst. that's it that's the plot.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rygen/Maud</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Last Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun shone brightly through the windows of Rygen's apartment, bathing his room in a warm, buttery glow. It was the first day of another school year, and he couldn't wait to behold the sea of familiar faces, as well as ones he'd never seen before.</p><p>Maude lay cuddled into his side, their lips slightly parted as small breaths escaped from time to time. Their short, wavy auburn hair was dyed indigo at the ends, like a splash of liquid galaxy. Their eyebrows furrowed, then relaxed every few minutes as they shifted their position.</p><p>And Rygen couldn't help but be entranced by his beloved.</p><p>Despite his endless wishes to move away and start a life somewhere else, it was always his love for the students who seemed to look up to him that held him back. There was always just something about helping a wonderful, capable group of young adults get along that he couldn't pull himself away from.</p><p>That was why he regretted going to see that group of young adults on that particular day.</p><p>The day went along relatively slowly, as usual. Rygen would greet them, collect homework, give an extension or reminder to those who hadn't done it, explain a new concept, assign work and dismiss the class. He'd even let them play Kahoot! if everyone had finished their task, and that was the platform they used in place of actual tests. All in all, he was adored by his students, just as he adored them. But as soon as he turned the key to his apartment unit that evening, he knew there was something wrong.</p><p>"Maud?" he called out as he came face to face with a darkened hallway. <em>Maybe they're just out working late.</em> He nodded to himself, pulling his laptop out to grade assignments and check his emails. <em>Wait a second,</em> he frowned at the screen. <em>Maud doesn't work. Or have they gotten a job?</em> He shook his head, the rhythm of the clacking keys keeping him focused as he worked.</p><p>It wasn't until three hours later that they turned up with tears in their eyes. The door swung open slowly to reveal Maud, their face tear-streaked and their hair flattened from the rain. They stalked in, hands shaking as they shut the door behind them. Their sobs just barely audible against Rygen's keyboard clacking away. It paused suddenly, making Maud look up as they were met with their lover's warm embrace.</p><p>"Where have you been?" Rygen's voice was barely above a whisper, laced with worry. "It isn't like you to be out past nine. Are you okay?"</p><p>Maud stiffened, their puffy, red eyes still flowing with tears. "I'm-" they cut themself off, collapsing in a damp heap on the floor.</p><p>"You don't have to say shit if you don't want to. Let's just get you cleaned up, okay?" Rygen gently gathered the bundle on the floor, carrying Maud along the hallway and into the bathroom.</p><p>After a warm bath, a now calm and clean Maud was warming themself up by the fireplace, smiling sorrowfully as Rygen set a cup of scalding hot chrysanthemum tea on the coffee table in front of them.</p><p>“So,” Rygen awkwardly began, sitting cross-legged across from his lover.</p><p>“So, I’m dying in two months.” Maud deadpanned. “You’ll never see me again after and there’s nothing we can do about it because surgery is expensive since the hospital’s making us pay for a fuckton of extra tests.” they paused to sip their tea, not moving their gaze from a wide-eyed Rygen.</p><p>“How can you be so nonchalant about this?” Rygen felt a flurry of rage, melancholy and frustration build within his chest.</p><p>“Bold of you to assume I haven’t been waiting for this bullshit to happen. It’s better once you’ve accepted everyone’s gonna be gone someday.” Maud leaned back in their chair. “I’ll just be gone for, what, a decade or three until I get reincarnated? I mean, you’ll find someone who’s better than me in every way possible. You’ll be better off without me.”</p><p>Rygen sat in stunned silence at Maud, slowly processing their words. There could never be anyone better for him than Maud. Did they even know what they were going on about? It didn’t matter to Maud that Death would be along to snatch them from the face of Earth. And it broke Rygen to know that Maud probably didn’t care about losing him. That they just cared about what they could do together while they were both still alive.</p><p>A month later, Rygen had begun crying himself to sleep with the bed beside him empty, though he could still feel Maud’s aura around. But it was okay. He knew he would be okay.<br/>
The sun shone brightly through the windows of Rygen's apartment, bathing his room in a warm, buttery glow. It was the last day of another school year, and he couldn't wait to behold the sea under the cliff, tugging the air from his lungs and falling into eternal slumber.</p><p>Rygen couldn’t wait to see Maud again.</p>
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